Apartment Fire Ruled Accidental

HEBRON — The fire that gutted the second floor of an apartment off Route 85 Wednesday has been ruled accidental.

Fire Marshal Ray Griswold said the fire, which started in the second floor of a chicken coop that had been converted into an apartment, began near the chimney.

The stubborn fire took nearly three hours to put out.

``The fire started in and around the chimney area,'' Griswold said Friday. ``We are ruling it accidental in nature. The chimney had a flaw in it or just deteriorated over time. The chimney just failed in some way, causing the fire.''

The apartment's tenant, Carol Burril, was home at the time of the fire but escaped injury.